We did it, BBN – we made it to the weekend. Before we start celebrating, though, let’s see how our former ‘Cats played in an exciting NBA Thursday night.

RECAP:

RANDLE POSTS ANOTHER TRIPLE-DOUBLE

It’s starting to feel repetitive spending every recap talking about how amazing Julius Randle is playing, but how can I not? Just last night, Randle went for 18 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists in his 40 minutes of play. That is his third triple-double of the season, the most by a Knicks player since the 1981-82 season.

The Knicks had dropped their last two games to the Nets and the 76ers prior to last night’s matchup with the Magic. They are facing serious roster woes, with point guards Elfird Payton, Derrick Rose, Rivers and Immanuel Quickley (sore left ankle) unavailable. Though they led most of the game, Orlando went on a 21-5 run through the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to take a 75-74 lead.

Not so fast, though – here comes Mr. Randle. The All-Star forward either assisted on or scored eight of New York’s final nine points. The Magic had the opportunity to win the game with the final possession, but Knicks forward Reggie Bullock came up with a clutch steal to end the game. New York wins it 94-93 at home.

Bul-LOCK down

The play that sealed the W pic.twitter.com/TjlKnE4Vwo

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 19, 2021

KAT NETS 41 AS TIMBERWOLVES SHOCK SUNS

We love to see some good news for our old friend Karl Anthony-Towns. Though his Timberwolves are currently last in the Western Conference at 10-31, they are having more success post All-Star break. They’ve won three of five games since the break, including a stunner last night over the third-place Suns.

KAT ended the game just shy of a triple-double with 41 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. His teammate and former Georgia Bulldog Anthony Edwards added 42 points, the most by a rookie in Timberwolves history. Edwards is one of the youngest players to ever post a 40-point game.

Anthony Edwards is the 3rd-youngest player in NBA history with a 40-point game:

LeBron – 19 yrs old, 88 days
Durant – 19 yrs old, 200 days
Edwards – 19 yrs old, 225 days pic.twitter.com/5cEXYNGeJl

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 19, 2021

Devin Booker led the Suns with an impressive 35-point showing, but he couldn’t get much help from the rest of the roster. The Suns are currently sitting at No. 3 in the West at 26-13, just behind the Lakers. The Timberwolves and Suns will play again tonight at 10:00 p.m.

P.J. WASHINGTON GIVING HORNETS VALUABLE MINUTES

We talk a lot about the ‘Kentucky Knicks,’ but sometimes forget about an even closer team with several former ‘Cats of its own. The Charlotte Hornets’ roster boasts Malik Monk, Nick Richards and P.J. Washington.

Washington, who is currently starting, averages around 30 minutes a game. Last night, he played 39 – more than any other Hornet. He ended the game with an impressive 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier added 26 and 20 respectively, but it wasn’t enough. The Lakers went on to win 116-105, led by a stellar performance from Lebron James. James ended the game with 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Lakers moved back into second place in the Western Conference.

The Lakers are still without Anthony Davis, who suffered a calf strain in mid-February. Though L.A. was hopeful he would be back sooner, the team recently announced he wouldn’t be re-evaluated until March 26. For now, he is acting as an additional Lakers cheerleader from the bench.

AD is First Team All-Bench Celebrations 😂😂

(📺: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/UpLBOG9kG9

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 19, 2021

Former Wildcat Malik Monk has shown the NBA world what he can do, though he struggles with consistency. Monk only played 14 minutes in last night’s game, ending with no points, one rebound and two turnovers. Richards did not play.

Here are the full stats from last night:

[table id=726 /]

TODAY IN THE NBA:

7:30 p.m. – Kings (Fox) at Celtics

7:30 p.m. – Spurs (Johnson, Lyles) at Cavaliers

8:00 p.m. – Pacers at Heat (Adebayo, Herro)

8:00 p.m. – Nets at Magic

8:00 p.m. – Jazz at Raptors

8:00 p.m. – Pistons (Diallo) at Rockets (Wall)

8:00 p.m. – Warriors (Mulder) at Grizzlies

9:00 p.m. – Bulls at Nuggets (Murray)

10:00 p.m. – Timberwolves (Towns, Vanderbilt) at Suns (Booker)

10:00 p.m. – Mavericks (Cauley-Stein) at Trail Blazers (Kanter)